Posts by Catweazle

Right-click its entry in the Recycle bin and choose restore?

Let us know your Windows version, and we can move this topic to the appropriate section, please.

Assistance with piracy issues is not permitted on this forum, i'm afraid. Topic closed!

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341&Product=winxp

There ya go! ;)

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341&Product=winxp

Follow those instructions, javierjan, and next time please put your questions in a new topic, rather than piggy-backing them on someone else's topic ;)
.

Just a minor update to this, and hopefully someone can confirm the point. I've been informed that the power supply units included in Dell PCs use a non-standard ATX connector, and if that's the case then a new unit would be required.

Installed the motherboard driver before installing the display driver?

When you change motherboards (or swap a drive from one machine to another) you have to format and install fresh.

McDonalds was not, is not, and will not be the problem. The problem is the people abusing the food. Just as you can abuse alcohol or drugs, food can be abused to. This does not indicate that the food is to blame, but the person whose poor decision is to blame, as they did not exercise enough self control to chose some other meal.

Not that I'm on a high horse or anything, (I don't regularly eat at McDonald's anyways) but I like my fast food when I get the hankering. Just because a bunch of people lack the self control to not eat McDonalds 5 out of 7 days a week, I don't get my Super size fry when I feel like having one.

You're neglecting consideration of a couple of very important factors there.

The first of those is the advertising. From infancy, people get bombarded with the message! It's flashy, it's attractive, it's completely innaccurate, and it's matched only by that other great bane of the world - Coke! How the hell else can that pair of disgusting abominations of product for human consumption get to be the most widely consumed that there is if it's not for the fact that there are forces at bear which act to take rational choice away from the individual?

The second of those factors is the factor of nutritional content of the product. Production of McDonalds foodstuffs would be one of the most measured and regimented procedures in …

Read this first!

Scroll down when you've finshed reading it.

I BLOODY MEANT IT! GET BACK AND READ THE THING!

Flashing the BIOS means updating it, and there's no reason to do that if there's no problem on your system, and if there's no update issued for any problem you might have.

Interruption to power while flashing can render your system useless - it is not a task to be taken lightly. Not even a technician will guarantee you that a BIOS update will be performed with out problem.

Some enthusiasts update BIOS with alternative versions designed to let the components of the PC interact with each other quicker, but again, there is risk involved.

Again, I'll stress - a BIOS update should be performed ONLY if there is a hardware problem which a BIOS update has been released to corect.

Sorry about the highlighting, I had to search for it so I could copy/paste it.

Here it is:

/* Source Code to Windows 2000 */

#include "win31.h"
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "workst~1.h"
#include "evenmore.h"
#include "oldstuff.h"
#include "billrulz.h"
#include "monopoly.h"
#define INSTALL = HARD

char make_prog_look_big[1600000];
void main()
{
while(!CRASHED)
{
display_copyright_message();
display_bill_rules_message();
do_nothing_loop();
if (first_time_installation)
{

make_50_megabyte_swapfile();

do_nothing_loop();

totally_screw_up_HPFS_file_system();

search_and_destroy_the_rest_of_OS/2();

make_futile_attempt_to_damage_Linux();

disable_Netscape();
disable_RealPlayer();
disable_Lotus_Products();
hang_system();
}

write_something(anything);
display_copyright_message();
do_nothing_loop();
do_some_stuff();

if (still_not_crashed)
{

display_copyright_message();

do_nothing_loop();

basically_run_windows_3.1();

do_nothing_loop();
do_nothing_loop();
}
}

if (detect_cache())
disable_cache();

if (fast_cpu())
{
set_wait_states(lots);
set_mouse(speed, very_slow);
set_mouse(action, jumpy);
set_mouse(reaction,
sometimes);

}

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
3.1"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
3.11"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
95"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
NT 3.0"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
98"); */

/* printf("Welcome to Windows
NT 4.0"); */

printf("Welcome to Windows
2000");

if (system_ok())
crash(to_dos_prompt)
else
system_memory =
open("a:\swp0001.swp", O_CREATE);

while(something)
{
sleep(5);
get_user_input();
sleep(5);
act_on_user_input();
sleep(5);
}
create_general_protection_fault();
}

…

With the heightened security measures introduced with SP2, there's now even more reason to make the change.

But beyond that, the 'fancy effects' go way beyond mere 'eye candy'. Before making a judgement, get yourself near a freshly installed Windows XP box (one where there hasn't already been some idiot come along and disable features) and then start doing a few things like:

- pop a blank CD in the burner
- take a few snaps and then hook the digital camera up to the USB port
- hook it up to another PC and see just how simple network setup is. Try the wireless networking setup. That's even more of a buzz.
- scan a few snapshots into the machine (hey, looky-look, there's a wizard for that too - you don't need software. Bung 'em in 'My Pics' somewhere, then show 'em off as a slideshow or, oh my! there's an option there to bung 'em straight on a CD to send to someone else!

There's more than that, of course. Lots of little tricky toys to play with. They're rather rudimentary in nature, admittedly, but when you consider it the vast majority of everyday computing consists of using sophisticated tools for rudimentary tasks. I've found that the various Wizards etc. in XP have been adequate for much more than I ever dreamt possible, and I've never had PC systems with so few software tools needing to be installed ;)

Let us know what motherboards they stock and we can suggest which are the best alternatives.

I'd suggest that purchasing from a local store isn't always the best alternative, especially if that store deals only in a limited range.

I'd consider a 9800 Pro to be a far better value purchase than a 9800XT. You don't get enough extra performance from the XT to justify the extra dollars, and most Pros overclock to XT levels quite easily.

Be wary, though to get a 9800 Pro with "256-bit memory interface'. There are several companies sell '9800 Pros' with a crippled 128-bit memory interface. They only have half the bandwidth, and perform only a tiny bit better than the 9600XT, which makes them a rip-off.

A full-featured 9800 Pro is obtainable quite cheaply nowadays.

ATi Radeon 9xxx cards often have stability issues with AGP 8X, and you might need to set AGP to 4X anyway to get the card to run stable. Disabling AGP fast writes is another thing many people have had to do. AGP 8X doen't improve performance anyway, so it's not a problem to set the interface back a bit.

The new generation cards are much better, although a bit more expensive, and NVidia have regained credibility and the 'crown'.

The 6800 standard is a quite good card, and outperforms a 9800XT quite noticeably. The 6800GT is the current best-value card amongst the high-end options available, and is an extremely good card which outperforms even the ATi X800XT in most situations.

I already mentioned two motherboards as my recommended options.

You mentioned overclocking earlier, and that makes the motherboard you mentioned just now totally unsuitable.

The i875P chipset is fine, but Intel manufactured motherboards do not provide the necessary BIOS features for overclocking. A third party motherboard using the chipset is a far better choice, and the ABit boards I specifically mentioned are widely accepted by enthusiasts as amongst the best options available.

That Intel motherboard would be OK if you only ever intend to run your processor at stock settings ;)

The Thermaltake case is a quite good quality one, as is the power supply unit included in it.

The RAM should be fine, and its 400MHz capability should allow you to have your processor running 'in sync' all the way up to 800MHz front side bus if it's good enough to get that far.

It's PC3200 (400MHz) modules ;)

And if you can detect a performance difference between using 2 x 512Mb modules and using 1 x 1Gb module, then you've a good 'measuring tape' and a mighty fine pair of eyes ;)

Anyway, why are you worrying about tiny little insignificant considerations like that when you have a rather run-of-the-mill display card in your system? In terms of sheer speed, a 9600XT is not really any better than a Gf4Ti4200, (although you can get better image quality out of it) and it's certainly not even up to the standard of the rather cheap GeForce FX5900XT.

If you've a mind to the future, that card isn't gonna cut it, I'm sorry to say. It might be a worthy companion to your Celeron, but it'd be a performance bottleneck for gaming on an Athlon64 system.

As I understand it, dual-channel memory configuration is not a feature of Socket 754 Athlon64 motherboards. You'd need to move up to (the more expensive) Socket 939 platform for that.

Socket 754 processors have more cache memory, so there's no real performance drop with them so don't stress about it ;) Check prices would be the best move. Sometimes you can find that 2 x 512Mb modules might be less expensive than a single 1Gb module.

If your game problem is framerate, then the Celeron would be contributing a bit, but hey:

You've been discussing processor and motherboard change. Is that to improve games performance? Processors are only a minor consideration for games. The display card is by far the more important factor. What card have you got? If your display card is weak, no processor/motherboard in the world is gonna fix your gaming ;)

That file is Internet Explorer. Just have a look at it! :D

Sounds like your net connection is corrupted. Try deleting it then recreating it again.

Scanning your system for spyware, diallers and other nasties would be a good idea as well.

Try The Gimp

It's open source so it's free.

You've got me very confused. You asked where to download warezed isos of Windows, That's not permissible on these forums.

If your question is actually a legitimate one, and you really mean something else rather than a desire to know where to obtain warez, then please make it a bit clearer for us.

Usually, but not always. You're talking only two wires. If it don't work one way round, then turn the blasted plug around! :D

Get a pin. Push down on the little metal tag you see on the plug to allow the pin on one of the wires to be pulled back out of the plug, and then push it into the other hole so the two wires are side by side.

If the spacing of the pins on the motherboard header are too close for a 3 pin width plug to be actually used, then remove a plug from some old scrap component or lead, pull both wires out of the 3 pin plug and then fit them to a 2 pin plug.

It's quite easy to remove the wires ;)

No, I simply refer to them together because Firefox is really only a 'next generation' Mozilla. They're basically the same browser.

Yes, each data fetch will still be 16 bits, as I understand it. The 64 bits refers to the amount of data processed at a time. I could be a tad wrong there, because that's starting to get quite technical in regard to the inrenal architecture of the processor, and I'm no engineer.

But the 1600MHz fsb figure is a 'fiddled about with' value derived from the amount of data processed at a time, the speed its processed at, the amount of data sent in a single operation, and the number of operations performed in each clock cycle of the processor. All to technical to bother about really, just rest assured that the motherboards you mentioned will be capable of utilising the full potential of the processor, and the better your RAM. the better it will work.

And yes, to achieve that '1600MHz' the basic setting is 200MHz. Thats the speed of the memory chips on the RAM module, and the number of fetches, operations and whatnot per clock cyle multiplies it to get bus speed.

The 'core clock multiplier' multiplies the basic speed setting to get the core clockspeed of the processor.

But really, all of that is very much a simplification, because as I said earlier, 'front side bus' isn't applicable to Athlon64 processors in the same way it is with other processors. The architecture is different, the memory controller is on the processor, the data being manipulated isn't as tightly restricted as it …

Internet Explorer lets in far too much spyware/malware. Netscape is a crappy thing that installs too much 'extras'. Mozilla/Firefox are very good browsers, but unfortunately don't display all web pages correctly.

The best combination is to use Mozilla/Firefox as a main browser, and Internet Explorer only for those sites which need it.

Windows 98 is nowhere near as good as Windows XP, but your system needs to be powerfully enough configured to make use of it. On an old, underpowered, limited RAM system it runs like a dog!

Both those Motherboards will. I said "the full 16 bits at 800MHz each way" . That's two times 800MHz of dataflow, and what does that make when you add it up?

It's still gonna be a 200MHz setting in BIOS, and with only PC2100 memory to install, you're still gonna have a significant performance drop to start with. The thing that will allow you the 'full potential' of the processor will be PC3200 RAM. Like I said, the concept of 'front side bus' is different for AMD64 processors, because the memory controller is on the processor. Better RAM, better processor performance ;)

But an Athlon64 processor coupled with an nForce3 250 chipset motherboard is about the beastliest desktop system there is at present!

nForce3 250 is the better chipset - better performance, better stability and compatibility.

That motherboard will use the full 'FSB' capacity of the processor. You have the understanding of it quite wrong. Current A64 processors use a 200MHz fsb setting, and the processor itself does the 'tricky' bits, so long as the motherboard chipset allows it to. It works a different way to previous processors and motherboards - the memory controller is on the processor, not on the motherboard, so the limitiation of FSB isn't really comparable to other technologies.

Hypertransport should NOT be confused with dual-channel (effective 'doubling' of memory speed) or with Hyperthreading (simulation of a dual-processor for Pentium4 chips). Hypertransport is the name used to denote the memory controller technology of A64 processors. It doesn't get 'enabled' to double anything at all - it's there and working to allow processor and RAM to communicate.

NForce3 250 chipset motherboards have the ability to utilise the full capability of A64 processors, allowing the full 16 bits each way at 800MHz that the processor is capable of.

Hi,

You can't share a scanner. It'd be useless if you could anyway, because you'd still have to walk from one machine to another to load in the document to be scanned!

I'll move this to the networking section so you can receive further advice.

Yes, it seems like the hard drive is shot!

Socket 754 motherboards can use PC2100, PC 2700 or PC3200 RAM, so you should be OK. Your performance would suffer dramatically with the slower memory, however.

Non-ECC/unbuffered memory is standard RAM modules. The ECC/buffered modules use an error checking technology, are higher quality, higher latency and higher cost, and are designed for server application where increased data protection is a must. Only the Socket 940 boards for AthlonFX processors require it. Socket 754 for Athlon64 and Socket 939 for Athlon64/AthlonFX can use standard RAM modules.

Power supply:

Just replacing the 250W unit with a 400W unit in itself may not be the ultimate move. not if you just pop into a local store to get the new PSU anyway! You certainly have enough in your system to be testing out a 250W unit, but it's quality that counts. A good 250W unit, such as the one in your Dell, may in fact be more stable than a cheap as chips generic 400W unit, by delivering more stable voltage levels. Cheap power supplies are all over the place with the voltages, I'm afraid.

I've mentioned some brand names earlier, but as a general rule it IS price that counts. Here in Australia, where el-cheapo PSUs at the corner shop cost around $AU40 to $50, I wouldn't consider paying less than $AU100 for a unit. There simply isn't a quality model on the market for under that price, and the better ones come in at $AU120+.

Motherboard:

You still seem confused. Motherboards aren't limited to one front side bus speed only, they have settings in BIOS to adjust the fsb setting to suit the processor installed (or to overclock it of course :)) The two Abit motherboards I recommended above cater to both 533MHz and 800MHz fsb processors, and both should allow you to increase it even beyond 800MHz for overclocking purposes, should you choose to 'hot-rod' the thing.

With quick restore CDs, if you pop it in while Windows is running, rather than booting from it, you should get th option to do a 'Software only' fix, which is a Refresh Install such as I've mentioned.

Some details about your other hardware would help. You've identified the soundcard, but it's the motherboard and display card we need to know about. If it's onboard graphics, then the correct drivers would need to be obtained from the motherboard manufacturer (or system manufacturer if it's a 'name brand' PC). If it's an add-in card, the the drivers would be supplied by the card manufacturer.

If that PC is still under warranty, then take it back and have it looked at.

If not, then open the case and check to see if the cable connector has worked loose on the drive (or the power connector).

If all connectors are firmly attached, and the drive stil doesn't detect despite being set to Auto, then I'd suspect the drive is dead! It's not unknown for drives to fail like this. Was slowness the only reason for formatting? Were you getting any errors previously?

I'm a bit bewildered how you think an older version of DirectX or display drivers would cause system shutdowns JR85023 :confused:

I can't see how those circumstances would cause the behaviour at all!

What on Earth do you mean? And who are you directing your question to?

Downloading iso's of Windows is illegal, is it not?

sazz, Uninstalling those programs would be a trick to try certainly, but I'm curious.

Is there any other problem apart from the noises when you start? Does your PC operate just fine otherwise?

Yes, there will be ways to sort it out. Several in fact. Only one of them is the option to leave the speakers turned off until after your 'pooter has started up.

You've probably got something trying to load at startup and it's missing a necessary part now that you've 'hit it up' with some software sledgehammers. If you clarify the situation a bit more I'm sure we can help.

We can't have you getting 'bonked' by your PC now, can we?

Some answers to the other questions I posed would help please.

Damn, that's sad Dani. Lots of love to you.

And thanks, you've made me shed a few more tears for Mum, and even more so for my little granddaughter Jacinta. That's a sad thing but never a bad thing.

I found this, and think it's rather wonderful:

That he was near to you so many a year
But darkens your distress.
Would you he were less worthy and less dear
That you might grieve the less?
He was a golden font that freely poured
What goldenly endures,
And though that font be gone,
its bounty stored and treasured
Still is yours.
The past is deathless.
Souls are wells too deep
To spend their purest gains.
All that he gave to you is yours to keep
While memory remains.
Who never had and lost, forlorn are they
Far more than you and I
Who had and have.
Judge not the price we pay
For love that cannot die.

Kerry, your questions are too general for us to be able to give you full answers here. You need to do some research preparation. Look up the terms you've mentioned at:

www.webopedia.com

and then follow up by using Google to search for further information. Use search terms like "What is SDRAM" or "how to choose RAM" and spend some time looking through the results for discussion articles.

Let us know the exact make and model of your computer (or your motherboard) and we will be able to help with more specific questions. For now, though:

Yes, the memory slots on your motherboard are for your RAM, and there are different types of slots for different types of RAM module. you need to get the type which suits your motherboard.

IDE connectors are the plugs on the data cable for your hard drives and CD/DVD drives.

Nexxuz, you need to look at the numbers when you're providing information about your system, not the general advertising blurb. What exact model of Gateway computer do you have?

There are only two things to worry about with the power supply unit. If it's less than 300 watts, then I'd discard it. If the mounting screws are in a different place to a standard unit then you can't use it. Take note of the 4 screw holes on this one:

[img]http://www.chill-tek.com/products/images/power-supplies/q-tec-psu.jpg[/img]

The motherboards I mentioned are Socket 478 motherboards, and any suitable heatsink/fan combination would be suitable.

All modern motherboards have heat sensors built into them, and almost all come with a temperature monitoring utility. The utility would probably have overclocking facilities also, but I'd suggest they be used only for temperature monitoring. Overclocking is best performaed manually, in BIOS. Your display card uses its own temperature sensor.

The motherboards I mentioned cater to Pentium 4 processors with either a 533MHz or 800MHz frontside bus.

Random shutdowns and restarts usually result from only a few causes.

- Overheating. Did you assemble the system or was it prebuilt? If your system is overheating I'd guess it's the processor, as your display card is a rather low powered one. Check that the display card is firmly seated in its slot anyway, and carefully check if the processor heatsink is firmly clipped on. There should be little to no sideways 'twist' possible.

- Virus infection. Have you got up to date and updated Virus protection running on your system? A firewall?

- Memory mismatch. Try removing the 256Mb module and then giving your system a good hard workout to see if it becomes more stable. (Switch off at the wall outlet before fiddling with the internals of course) Use one module at a time only, and have it in memory slot 1. Try the othe module(s) in turn. 'Mix and match' with unbranded or different brans of RAM module can lead to memory conflicts and errors.

- Misconfigured BIOS. What is the exact model number of your motherboard please? Saying it's a 'LAN Party' one doesn't help much, because that's a product line, not a specific motherboard. It's like saying "my car is a Ford sedan".

Hi RockSTARBandit,

New questions warrant a new topic please. 'Piggybacking' new questions onto an existing discussion just makes things confusing, and limits your chances of getting an answer.

aaroN42, I must have missed your question earlier. I think the heatsink on that processor is attached by four 'pushpins' which go through holes in the motherboard. Is that correct?

Having all four securely attached is a necessity, but I'm not sure if the pushpins are sold separately as a retail item. With one broken, I'd be purchasing a replacement heatsink/fan unit, which would come with new pins provided. They're quite inexpensive.

Not on that Laptop you can't. It's not powerful enough for Windows XP.

I'm wondering if you have the Windows CD for that laptop? The 'kernel32.dll' error indicates you have some system file corruption. Popping the CD in the drive, and running 'Setup' will restore your system files and hopefully correct some of the problems.

I seriously wouldn't advise adding RAM to a laptop that old either. You certainly need more, but the money would be better put toward a replacement PC. If a 'Refresh install' such as I described helps a bit, then I'd suggest you stumle along with what you've got for now, but please, please have less windows open at the one time. You are trying to make that laptop work harder than it's capable of!

Does it happen any other time? In other games or programs?

If it's just in Red Factiob, then uninstall the game, delete any remaining traces of the program folder (to get rid of any configuration file that might have been left behind, and then reinstall it.

If the problem happens elsewhere, try putting the 512Mb RAM module in slot one and omitting the 256Mb module . Give the system a good workout and see if the problem persists. If so, give it a good workout with only the 256Mb module in slot one. You might be having compatibility problems between the two modules and your motherboard.

Topic closed.

I reckon formatting and installing fresh would help.

Or you could do what I did:

Download and install Mozilla, and set it as your default browser. I only use Internet Explorer nowadays for the Windows Update site, and a handful of others I visit regular which have an issue or two with Mozilla. Most sites work just fine, and the browser is better (tabbed browsing is GREAT!) and also not prone to the net nasties that plage IE.

(Service Pack 2 is marvellous, by the way. But it doesn't stop IE from being a mess that can't be fixed ;))

Intel are tricky bastards. They only tell you that the info isn't there because they want you to buy another board! :D

But it's available, and Google finds it ;)

Motherboard manual

Connectors

You need a case.

Get a decent one, with a 'brand name power supply included, or buy your power unit separately. If the one in the Dell is 300 to 350 wattsa or better, and is standard configuration which will bolt into a standard case, then re-use that. Dell includes good quality units.

Do NOT purchase a cheap as chips case and use the generic PSU from that. Codegens and the like are crappy PSUs. An Antec case and Antec Trupower PSU would be good choices. Thermaltake and Zalman make good PSUs as well. If you intend to overclock, you will need to be able to rely on the quality and stability of power delivered.

Reuse your processor. Match it up with a good motherboard, based on i865PE or i875P chipsets. ABit IS7 or ABit IC7-G respectively are good choices.

Grab a heatsink/fan unit like the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu

That's about it, really :D